The process of building landing pads, dwellings and roads on the moon will probably look different than a normal construction site on Earth. Excavation robots, for one, should be lightweight but capable of digging in low gravity. Large-scale construction systems can be hygienic and equipped to work without the help of astronauts.
As part of the Artemis program, NASA There is a concept for the basic surface elements needed to establish a constant presence on the moon, emphasizing mobility for astronauts to explore more and operate more conductively. NASA is considering placing vehicles on the moon, habitable mobility platforms or lunar RVs and surface locations on the moon by the end of the decade. The agency is investing in advanced manufacturing – one of the five industries of the future to enable space exploration and improve life on Earth – including technologies that could find and use the resources available on the moon. Mars To create future infrastructure.
Today NASA, Texas, is working with Texas-based construction technology company ICG, ICON, on preliminary research and the development of a space-based construction system that could support future exploration of the Moon and Mars. The company has 3D printed communities of homes and constructions on Earth and participated in NASA’s 3D printed housing challenge, showcasing a construction method and techniques that may be acceptable for applications outside our home planet.
Illustration of imaginary lunar base with 3D printed infrastructure including ICON landing pads and housing. Credit: ICON / CRH +
“To succeed in our future goals, we need to invest in new, cutting-edge technologies today,” said Nikki Verkheiser, executive of NASA’s Game Changing Development Program. The program is part of the agency’s Space Technology Mission Directorate. “Near-term research and development will help ensure that we can expand our manufacturing capabilities to other worlds when the time comes.”
Another U.S. government agency is interested in technology on Earth and its use. U.S. The Air Force awarded ICON a Dual-Use Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract to expand 3D printing of live and workable structures. Part of the agreement, in which NASA has contributed funding, will explore similarities between Earth-based and -f-Earth applications. ICO will also invest in this effort.
“Joining forces in multinational agencies and sharing costs allows us to accelerate the development timeline and bring key capabilities that are of common interest to us to bear fruit as soon as possible.” “Together, we will help mature technologies that will benefit humanity – both on Earth and in space.”
ICON will work with NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntville, Alabama to test lunar soil simulators with various process and printing technologies under the Lunar Soil Planetary Autonomous Construction Technologies (MMPACT) project. NASA is partnering with industry, government and educational institutions under the MMPACT project.
Picture of the concept of a Mars dwelling developed by Ike Lenn for the Colorado School Min F Mines and NASA’s 3D Printed Habitat Challenge. Credit: Logan Architecture
“We want to increase the level of technical readiness and testing system to prove that the development of large-scale 3D printers that can develop infrastructure on the moon or Mars is possible,” said Kirk Clinton, associate director of Marshall’s Office of Science and Technology. “The team will use what we learn from tests with Lunar Simulator to design, develop and demonstrate prototype elements for a fully-aged additive construction system.”
Depending on the progress, NASA will provide additional funding to the ICO and find an opportunity for in-situ testing on the lunar surface.
Jason Ballard, co-founder and CEO of ICON, said, “We have been thinking about off-the-world construction since the inception of ICON. “I am confident that even learning to build on the other world will bring the necessary success in overcoming the housing challenges we face in this world. These are mutual efforts. Sometimes, for the biggest problems, it becomes necessary to look up at the sky and not just under our feet. ”
The SBIR Award will be based on ICN’s commercial activities and performance during Phase 3 of NASA’s 3D Printed Habitat Challenge. For the challenge, ICOA partnered with the Colorado School Min f Mines in Golden. The team won a prize for printing a 3D structure sample that keeps enough seals when filled with water.
“It’s rewarding to see NASA’s past challenge competitors work with the government in a different way,” said Amy Kaminsky, program executive for NASA Prizes and Challenges. “Our approach to reaching groups outside the traditional aerospace sector to address the challenges we face in space and on Earth demonstrates that NASA’s technological development can be a unique contribution to G development efforts.”
